Last Friday my boss Larry Schardt and I were invited to the Tuscarora State Forest in Perry County, Pennsylvania. This remote Pennsylvania woods is a camper, hiker, nature lovers dream with over 91 acres of deciduous trees, ferns, streams and mountains. Ranger Gene Odato was a delightful, knowledgeable guide and graciously drove through this wooded paradise. Working in the forest is labor intensive but highly rewarding. Gene and his crew are in the process of planting dogwoods and red bud trees creating a gateway to the forest. We discussed the possibility of several potential quilt square sites the first being at the Fire building at the ranger station, nest to a wildflower garden, weather station and the Forest headquarters.

July 19, 2010

Fairdale Grange Quilt

More news from the PA Quilt Trails. I met with Barbara and Glenn Gross who are coordinating the Heritage Quilt Trail. The Heritage Quilt Trail is a project of the Pennsylvania Granges whose mission statement is "family fraternal organization dedicated to the betterment of rural America through community service, education, legislation, and fellowship." We are trying to work out a partnership between the Granges that fall into our five county region (Juniata, Mifflin,Snyder, Perry and Union).

This is an exciting partnership as Community Partnerships RC&D strive to partner with community organizations in our mission to serve our communities.

July 8, 2010

I am thrilled to post that we have our first quilt square sponsors and sites. After one and a half months of mostly computer and paper work, securing our first quilt squares is a momentous and celebrated event.

The first of the quilt squares will be installed at the Hunters Valley Winery near Liverpool, Pennsylvania. Situated just 1/3 mile off of route 11, I was delighted to encounter a view of the vineyard overlooking the Susquehanna River and its surrounding mountains. Even with high humidity compromising the clarity of the vista, the view from Hunter Mountain Winery was spectacular. After sampling a lovely semi-sweet red wine, I enjoyed the lovely breeze and pictured visitors picnicking on the grounds with their recently purchased bottle of wine, grown, fermented and bottled just a few feet away.

Not much more than twenty minutes away at The Sewing Shanty, in the charming town of Selinsgrove, is the site of our second quilt square . I was delightfully surprised by this shop which is chock full of fabrics and finished sewn and quilted pieces. For the short while I was there, I was inspired and awed by the shop's fabrics and quilts. Shop owner Debbie has a developed eye for interesting colors and patterns. Without exaggeration, I could have spent the entire day there looking through her inventory. Debbie and her brother are creating a wooden quilt together to be displayed in the store window as a memorial to their father. This unique quilt will be made by using various types of wood pieces cut into triangles and squares, forming a Sawtooth quilt pattern to commemorate the years their father spent as an owner of a sawmill. A touching tribute which promises to be beautiful and unique.

July 1, 2010

So it's been a little more than a week and I felt a post was past due updating all about the progress of PA Quilt Trails. The past few weeks I have been using my skills for fundraising a chore not necessarily blog post worthy but nevertheless very necessary for this project.

Most often when people talk about living in rural areas they complain that, "there's nothing to do" and "life here is oh so boring". And sometimes it is boring here. So why should you leave the comfort of your home and make central Pennsylvania a "must see" destination the next time you need to take a break from your routine and go somewhere for a few days? I decided I should play "tourist" and visit the area with fresh eyes and see what the area offers.

Today I went to our local farmer's market. Pennsylvania has a multitude of farmer's markets. Realistically you can find one, during growing season, almost any day of the week (with the exception of Sundays). Lewistown has a market on both Thursdays and Saturdays. Though modest in size, today there was a multitude of options from cooked chicken, berries, cut flowers, corn, honey, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, baked goods including whoopie pies (A PA favorite!), donuts, cookies, pies and breads. Because of Lewistown's proximity to several Amish and Mennonite communities, the vendors are largely from these two groups. Today there was a duo playing soft rock music which lent a party atmosphere to the market.

If you've never been to a farmer's market it is a great way to immerse oneself in local culture while supporting local economies.